Sonu Sood said ‘I’ll miss you' to taxmen after raid, reveals plans for remaining ₹17 crore raised

Actor Sonu Sood has said that he took great care of tax officials who arrived at his house for raids recently. According to Income Tax Department, Sonu and his associates were involved in ₹20 crore tax evasion and violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) while raising funds from abroad. Sonu, however, said that the four days of raids went by swimmingly.

Speaking to a leading daily, Sonu said he made sure that the taxmen were comfortable at his home. He promised them that it would be the best ever raid experience for them and even took their feedback as they left. “I asked them the question, and they admitted to this being their best experience so far. And I said that it will remain the best ever. When they left, I said, ‘I am going to miss you,’ and we all had a good laugh,” he said.

Sonu said that of the approximate ₹17 crore still left from the money he raised, he plans to build a charitable hospital in Hyderabad. He said he had already spent ₹2 crore in its construction. “Any foundation that receives funds has a time limit of one year to use the funds. If the funds don’t get utilised, you can extend it to another year. These are the rules. I listed this foundation only a few months ago, close to the second wave of COVID. Otherwise, during the first wave, when I started helping the migrants, I had people stepping forward who offered to book buses for the migrants. We weren’t collecting money then. I started collecting funds (for my foundation) only in the last four-five months. As per rules, I have over seven months more to use these funds. I am not going to waste people’s hard-earned money, and my hard-earned money,” he said.

Also read: Sonu Sood: Politics a great profession, no harm if someone wants to be in it

On Monday, Sonu posted a statement on his social media handles. "You don't always have to tell your side of the story. Time will. I have pledged myself to the service of the people of India with all my strength and heart. Every rupee in my foundation is awaiting its turn to save a precious life and reach the needy," the post read.